Time will tell if Cubs do have enough
The Cubs didn't even provide a cheap thrill prior to Tuesday's nonwaiver deadline.
They didn't acquire as much as a rag-arm reliever, broken-down pinch hitter or late-inning baserunning specialist.
"Like I told you the last couple weeks, if there was something out there it wouldn't have been huge," general manager Jim Hendry said before the Cubs beat the Phillies 7-3.
The victory made the Cubs 1-1 in a week that will indicate whether doing nothing at the deadline will matter down the line.
You see, eternal skeptic that I am concerning the Cubs, their surge into the division, pennant and World Series races hasn't been convincing.
True believers have seen the Cubs rally from a feeble April and May to strike fear into the rest of the National League.
But seeing is believing? Yes, sometimes. Other times seeing is deceiving.
At the risk of continuing to be viewed as negative concerning the Cubs, in all honesty all I have seen is a team pillaging the impoverished.
Entering this week's series against the Phillies and the Mets, the Cubs have played one above-.500 team since July 2. That was Arizona, which came into Wrigley Field and won two of three games.
Here's another tidbit: The Cubs haven't played a plus-.500 team on the road since June 10, a span of 51 days and 44 games.
Otherwise the Cubs have dominated, home and away, the likes of Washington, San Francisco, Houston, St. Louis and Cincinnati.
(Oh, by the way, the Cubs also lost two of three to last-place Pittsburgh.)
July was encouraging on paper, in the standings and for the psyche. The Cubs not only leaped into the NL Central race, they became the freakin' favorites over the Brewers and the Cardinals.
The perception is the Cubs might not just be the best team in the division but could end up with the NL's best record.
Again, four games against the Phillies and three against the Mets will go a long way to proving all this is no myth.
If the Cubs beat these two teams with what they have -- along with the addition of Kerry Wood in a few days -- even I might be ready to feel a twinge of optimism.
If the Cubs don't, well, doubts will persist as they go back to playing patsies.
The problem is, not too many sub-.500 teams make the playoffs. Assuming the Cubs get that far, they'll have to beat good teams instead of beating up on bad teams.
The postseason is when inaction at the trade deadline could become relevant.
Perhaps that one more bat, one more arm or one more injection of adrenaline would make the difference between qualifying for the postseason and surviving it.
This isn't a condemnation of general manager Jim Hendry.
Maybe a helpful deal simply wasn't there to be made. Or maybe Tribune Company's imminent sale of the Cubs restricted movement. Or maybe Hendry's comfort level with his current roster -- plus Wood -- is justified.
"Maybe we would like to do one thing to upgrade the bench," Hendry said, "but I like the guys we have."
Regardless, the Cubs still have much to prove the last two months of the season, and this week would be a good time to start.
Perhaps by Sunday, seeing will be believing instead of deceiving.
mimrem@dailyherald.com